Box-stay.



be quickly and effectively applied to a box or UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

HARRY L. CAMP, O1" LYNCHBU BG, VIRGINIA.

Box-STAY.

stays for strengthening and reinforcing boxes or packing cases, es ecially at the corners thereof, and it'has or its object to produce a simple' and improved device of the character described which may be easily and effectively applied to boxes or packing cases made of wood, fiber, paper or other material- A further object of the invention is to produce a set of light and ine xpensive, but strong and wear-resisting'corner stays. and means whereby the said stays may be quicklyand effectively applied to a box or packing case.

A further object of the invention is to pro-- duce a simple and improved set of corner stays, the same being initially connected together in such a fashion as to enable them to packing case of predetermined dimensions.

\yVith these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and ,combination of parts which will he hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accom mnying drawing has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention,-it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited. but. that changes, alterations and modifica-' tions may be made within the scope of the claims.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one ofthe improved stays. I

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a set of stays connected together by. connecting wires. 2

.Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a packing case.

"to which the set of stays have been applied.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the same. F1 5 15a top plan VIBW'SHTFlElI tolfig. 3,

1- icatlon.

Fig. 6 is a perspective detail showing a Ipeciflcatlon of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 2, 1818. Serial No. 75,830.

modified construction of one of the corner stzgs.

orresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference. The improved stay. as seen at A, consists of an angular trough having side walls 15 and end walls 16, the same being preferably formed of material such'as sheet metal by any well known process of pressing or stamping. wherebysaid stay may be formed ina single integral piece. The side walls 15 arepreferably at right angles to each other. while the end walls 16 are formed at right angles to the sidewalls so as to lie in planes thatare substantially parallel. The end walls 16 are provided with apertures 1.7

for the passage of the connecting wires. The stays are to be made 6t suitable length to enable them to be fitted on boxes or packing cases of predetermined dimMfiions.

The stays A are provid in sets of four adapted to be mounted on the four corners of a square or rectangular box or packing case B with the end walls 16 abutting on the top and bottom faces of'such box or packing case. The stays are connected together at their lower ends by wires 18 extending diagonally across the bottom face of the box The up er-ends of the stays are-connected together in pairsby wires 19, each of said wires serving to connect together the two stays A adjacent to one side edge of the box. and the twowires connecting together in pairs the stays at opposite sides. As seen in Fig. 2. the wires 18 and 19 are assembled with the stays by inserting the ends of the wires through the apertures 17 and then twisting the same, the stays being thus asseniblcd together in sets prior to their application to the boxes or packing cases for which they are intended.

It is obvious that the wires 18 sliduld be of such length that when the staysare applied to the corners of the box, the said wires will be drawn taut. The top wires 19 may then be intcrtwisted, as seen at 20 in Fig. 3, provided that said top wires are of a length to permit their loopcd'portions to overlap suflicicntly for the introduction of a tool. such as anv ordinary wire nail, where by they may be twisted together; if the wires 19 are not of sufiicient length to permit- .thcir loo ed portions to be overlapped they may be rawn tightly together by...n1eans of a tie wire, as seen in Fig. 5, at 2-1,,"

' stay, althou h it In Fig. 6 of the drawing there has been shown a slightly modified construction of one of the corner stays, whereby the said stay, here designated by S, is grooved or corrugated, the grooves or corrugations, designated by 23, having been shown as being formed longitudinally with respect to the will be understood that they might e formed transversely or diagonally. The grooves or corrugations serve to stiffen and reinforce the stay which for this reason will form's stronger and more effective reinforcement-for the box to which it is applied ifif'lt will be seen thata set of stays constructed and applied as herein shown and descri eTd-will not only serve to reinforcethe corners of tnerleox or packing ease, but that they will also serve to prevent either the top or the bottom of the box or case from being surreptitiously opened or removed, thereby protecting the contents during shipment.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

1. A box means;

lower end walls, the

protecting dev ce consisting of a set of four corner stays having angularly" disposed side walls and up er and lower end walls, bottom wires where y the lower end walls of diagonally opposed stays are permanently connected together, and top wires whereby the upper end walls of the stays disposed in parallel planes 'are connected toget er.

2. The combination with a packing case of a set of four corner stays having angularly disposed side walls and upper and endwalls-bemg provided with apertures, ing and. permanently connected with the lower end walls of diagonally opposed stays, to wires terminally engaging and connecte with the apertured upper end walls of stays located 1n parallel planes at opposite sides of the box, and means whereby the looped portionsof the top wires are drawn taut and connected together.

.In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY L. CAMP. Witnesses CHESTER HAMMEEL, H. M. H-ENRY.

bottom wires engag- 

